Irish Abroad: One Million Dubliners to be honoured at Irish Film Festival Boston

Underground Films’ latest documentary production, One Million Dubliners, winner of the Irish Times’ coveted Best Irish Film 2014 (and 4 stars from Scannain), will have its international premiere at the Irish Film Festival, Boston, March 20th, before being released to North American audiences from April 2015. The filmmakers will travel to Boston next week to accept the Festival’s prestigious Director’s Choice Award.

Since the Irish release of the film in October 2015, Glasnevin Cemetery has reported sustained and increased visitor numbers (last quarter of 2014 showed an increase of 30% and January 2015 is up by a staggering 85%).

Rachel Lysaght, producer, noted the profound public engagement with the film in Ireland, saying [quote]We have been delighted by the massive public response to the film here in Ireland – people of all ages engaged with the story on a profound level, sharing personal stories online ‘til we were #1 on Twitter. We are excited to bring the film to American audiences, and are honoured to receive this award in advance of our international premiere at the iconic Somerville Theater, Boston.[/quote]

One Million Dubliners is a documentary like no other, touching on stories celebrating life, mourning death, examining belief, and exploring love and loss. The film introduces the audience to a range of extraordinary characters, both living and dead, and with a firm focus on life, it delves into the business of death.

The film is the feature directorial debut of Aoife Kelleher, who commented [quote]The response to the film in Ireland surpassed all of our hopes. We are delighted to announce the release date of the film in North America, scheduled shortly after Saint Patrick’s day.  We’re very grateful to the staff of Glasnevin, without whom the film could not have been made, and for the family and friends of Shane MacThomáis. Making this film, with its remarkable subject and such a brilliant team, has been a privilege and it’s wonderful that audiences outside of Ireland will now have an opportunity to engage with the film.[/quote]

Glasnevin Cemetery is Ireland’s national necropolis, home to over one million people who by their final resting place, are honorary Dubliners. The cemetery has a remarkable history that makes it one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions, along with being a place that evokes profound emotions for its regular visitors. One Million Dubliners reveals the often unspoken stories of ritual, love, loss, redemption, emotion and history.

Above all, it’s the story of an immensely engaging Tour Guide shepherding his charges – and us – through the headstones and monuments, through opinions and beliefs. It’s a documentary film that offers a glimpse into the unknown, a world that we will all come to share, one of the two certain things in life. As we get to know the characters who populate the national necropolis, those people who choose to spend their life among the dead, we will also gain an insight into how we live and die in 21st century Ireland.

One Million Dubliners is an Underground Films production in association with RTÉ, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Shoot for the Moon and with the participation of Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board.